Wuxing (Five Elements / Phases) is an ancient Chinese theory of how to align human action with natural cycles of change.

‘The Way comes about as we walk it’ to quote the Zhuangzi, a famous work of Chinese philosophy. That walk is a pilgrimage, not to a holy place but the act of walking is itself sacred. Heaven is Round if we are neither on a linear path to a holy destination nor going around in mundane circles. Rather, each step is a practice of the way.

Learn about its history - how and why the theory developed over 2000 years ago.

I first learnt about wu xing through Shiatsu, a practice of bodywork which incorporates the diagnostic systems of Chinese Medicine. New insights came out of the blue while teaching and doing community work. To learn more about the original context of the theory, in my spare time, I have spent the last 20 years studying early Chinese history.

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Following an early career in contemporary dance, I learnt percussion and contemplative movement with Korean, Japanese and Indonesian performing artists. I’ve also trained in Core Process Psychotherapy and Movement Shiatsu. I taught and made taiko (Japanese drumming) for over 15 years, training with a Japanese master craftsman. In tandem, I worked as a team leader at an international college for ecological studies. I have been a manager and fundraiser in the nonprofit sector working with refugees and asylum seeker families, vulnerable teenagers, and in cross-cultural heritage.

The Foundation series explores the historical context of wuxing through a handful of simple questions: • What does wuxing mean? • How is it different to the four elements: earth, air, fire and water? • Why five? Why those five? • Is there a connection to yin-yang? • Do you write about Chinese medicine, fengshui (geomantic design) or astrology? The answer to the last question is no, but I do introduce the cosmology underlying these traditional practices.

Once this series is complete I’ll drop aspects of the traditional theory and introduce new perspectives. • Psychology: how we meet our needs in relationships and the stress responses when needs go unmet. • Evolution: e.g. how the ancient use of fire reflects the phase of Fire (i.e. a stage of social complexity in human behaviour) and so on. • Philosophy: other avenues of Chinese philosophy (e.g. Confucius, Laozi) using the new perspectives on wuxing as the lens of analysis. • Society: 21st century issues in politics, environment, welfare, warfare, workplace…

Wuxing has been translated as the five elements, phases, processes, agents, forces., and more besides. There is no one-size-fits-all translation that works in all contexts.. Wu 五 means five. Nice and easy, no problems there, but what about xing 行? Typical of Chinese characters, this ancient yet common word means different things depending on the context. To explore its myriad meanings we’ll go on a journey starting with the origins of Chinese writing over 3000 years ago.

The best-known translation of wuxing is the five elements. It’s used by Westerners doing Tai Chi classes as well as most Chinese people. Chosen by Jesuits priests over four hundred years ago, the translation was based on their knowledge of the Greek four elements: earth, air, fire and water. We’ll explore the missionary agenda of Matteo Ricci (1551 - 1610) who formed an impression of the theory based on its earliest sources.

Why five? Why did number five become central to Chinese cosmology? And why those five? Fire, water, and earth are hardly unique to China, but what was special about metal? This issue begins in prehistoric times before the theory of wuxing arose. We’ll look at how fire, water, trees, soil, and ores feature in myths and rituals. Their sacred properties help to bridge the transformation from raw materials to rarefied powers. The myths and rituals also express the powers of ancestors - spirits of the afterlife who controlled human fortunes.